


Confrontation

by miss_aligned



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Mass Effect 2, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-07-11 03:45:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7027144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_aligned/pseuds/miss_aligned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaidan demands answers from someone he thought he could trust regarding the mysterious return of one Commander Shepard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confrontation

“Commander? This is an unexpected surprise. What can I do for you?” Anderson’s words and tone were cordial, but his eyes were keen. He was vigilant as one might expect of any highly-trained and seasoned soldier. He observed the incoming officer closely. It wasn’t the first time that someone had walked into a human representative’s office with intent to punch someone in the face, after all.

“Sir,” Kaidan responded, noticing the Councillor’s wariness and coming to an abrupt stop. Offering a salute and standing stiffly as rage coursed through his body.

“At ease.” Anderson motioned in the direction of a pair of chairs. “Have a seat. Clearly there’s something on your mind.”

Kaidan didn’t budge. Now that he was in Anderson’s presence, a thousand questions, accusations, and insults flooded his mind all at once, but none managed to surface at his lips. He could feel the heat rising to his face however, and it clearly hadn’t gone unnoticed by his colleague.

“I read your report about Horizon. Despite the losses there, the intel gathered from you and the survivors will be valuable in preventing further trouble for human colonies in the Terminus Systems.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Kaidan hated how his voice wavered with the quiet question.

Anderson evaluated him for a moment, his proud stance faltering only when he let out a heavy sigh. “I hope you understand that I had to keep information on Shepard classified until I could verify what was going on. People don’t usually just come back from the dead.”

“Apparently they do, sir.” The Commander was only barely maintaining his composure. He wanted to scream at Anderson for keeping him in the dark and allowing Shepard to shock him in the midst of the second worst tragedy he’d ever witnessed. “Was there no way to let me know something before she waltzed in with Garrus at her side? You honestly couldn’t have given me a warning?”

“There are a lot of factors at play here, Commander. We had reason to believe that Cerberus was involved with the attacks on the colonies. Given that rumors had pegged Shepard to be involved with Cerberus, I couldn’t risk sending messages that might have been intercepted by the wrong party.”

Kaidan’s stomach lurched at the mention of Shepard and Cerberus. It was like a nightmare of unfathomable proportions and he still hadn’t figured out how to handle it. His jaw clenched as he struggled to accept the reasoning Anderson offered. It did little to assuage his anger and hurt, but even in his enraged state, he recognized at least some logic in it.

“For what it’s worth,” the Councillor continued, still wary of Kaidan’s intent. “Cerberus apparently is not involved with the colony attacks and, somehow, Shepard is alive.”

“I never would have imagined that she’d be working for them,” Kaidan rather bitterly replied.

“The very same reason I was skeptical myself,” Anderson acknowledged before humming briefly to himself. “Well, among others, I suppose.”

“I don’t understand why or how this could have happened. She went down with the Normandy, didn’t she? I heard her take her last…” A wave of nausea washed over Kaidan as he thought of those final moments of her life. He saw the explosions and heard her feeble gasps in his nightmares. For a long while after the destruction of the ship, his heart broke every night when he relived the catastrophe.

“You spoke with her, didn’t you?” Anderson’s head tilted ever so slightly, curious and probing. “When I met with her, she, too, seemed confused about how she managed to return. She said it was Cerberus but she didn’t appear too keen on working with them now.”

“Then why would she do it?”

“My guess is that she feels some sort of obligation. I suspected that they’d done something to alter her mind, but she was too suspicious, too wary of them for that to be the case.” Anderson turned, facing the picturesque Citadel beyond the walls of the office. He was clearly less concerned with Kaidan’s behavior than he had been initially. “She seemed… very much herself.”

Kaidan’s gaze dropped to the floor. Regret was hardly a new feeling for him lately, but it stabbed at him sharply in that moment. He’d convinced himself that he would prefer Shepard to remain dead rather than dealing with a twisted imitation of the woman he’d loved. He hated that he’d cut her off before she could explain. He chastised himself for his harsh words, so incensed with shock and despair as he was when he saw her and held her in his arms. Somewhere deep down, however, he’d recognized too much of her. Hearing Anderson echo those observations struck him silent.

“I applaud you for staying with the colony and helping the few who remained to leave or recover. I can only assume that Shepard made the offer to join her on the new ship. She was… how do I put this lightly… rather displeased when I refused to give information on your whereabouts,” Anderson continued, an amused smirk creeping across his lips. “I imagine she was just as surprised to see you on Horizon, because she couldn’t have known.”

Kaidan had guessed as much, given that he hadn’t let Shepard know he’d spotted her until he was ready. Or until he thought he was ready, at any rate. How, in this era of wild technological advances and space travel, they’d managed to keep him and Shepard blind to one another until they were practically face-to-face was mind-boggling. “I wouldn’t ever work for Cerberus, sir. I’m not sure what Garrus or any of the other former crew are thinking, but we’ve all seen enough of that group’s work to know better.”

“Fair enough,” Anderson said as his eyes still scanned the expanse of the Citadel. “The issues you all uncovered years ago with Cerberus were still very human-centric. I doubt many of your infamous non-human crew would be so concerned. My assumption, given what you all had gone through with Saren, is that they’re loyal to Shepard herself rather than the organization currently employing her.”

There was no stopping the heavy sigh that escaped Kaidan at those words. He had always considered loyalty to be a proud, defining trait of his. Suddenly, he realized that he’d failed at the first true test with Shepard. He claimed being loyal to the Alliance, yes, but when she asked for his loyalty on a personal level, he’d refused. Joker hadn’t. Garrus hadn’t. He had doubts that any of the old crew would abandon her now. No one abandoned Shepard, except the one person she’d probably hoped never would.

“Off the record, Alenko,” Anderson said as he turned to face the Commander. “Whom do you serve?”

Kaidan’s brow furrowed slightly as he offered his answer, not sure if he really understood the question. “The Alliance, sir.” His voice cracked as it made its way around the lump in his throat.

“And when the Alliance is ignoring the problem and dragging their feet?”

“I’m not sure–” Kaidan began, preparing to ask for clarification.

“I serve humanity, son. The Alliance lost an important component when the Normandy went down. The frigate was fast, difficult to detect, and deadly. Its Commander was no less efficient. With the new Normandy and Shepard back in play, humanity has its secret weapon again, doing the work that the Alliance doesn’t seem to be able or willing to cover on its own.” Anderson stood tall and proud as he spoke, as though his words didn’t smack of insubordination.

“Are you supporting Cerb–” A look of shock crossed Kaidan’s features.

“I’m inclined to support Shepard, Commander. This has nothing to do with Cerberus. I trust her to do the right thing and make tough choices for the good of humanity like she’s always done. She’s having a hard time of it without the support of the Alliance and mixed up with a group she doesn’t trust. She’s a reinstated Spectre, but the Council is disavowing knowledge of her actions. She’s alone and she’s not going to succeed or survive without help.”

Kaidan was at a loss for a way to respond. He’d come here for answers, perhaps to vent his frustrations over the situation. His anger was still there, but had at least reduced to a simmer that didn’t overpower his logic. Anderson had put more thought into the situation than he’d anticipated, and he had a feeling that the Councilor was going to ask for his help. It would be a chance to overcome and alleviate at least a small portion of the guilt he felt for turning his back on Shepard.

“She doesn’t honestly trust many people. You know that,” Anderson continued. Kaidan merely nodded in response. “Those she trusts are probably either on that ship or in this room. While I don’t plan on opposing the Alliance, I do intend to make Shepard’s work easier where I can. If this has anything to do with Reapers like she suspects, then she’s likely going to save a lot of people if she can figure out exactly what’s happening. There’s plenty of work to be done on that front beyond the confines of the new frigate.”

Kaidan pinched the bridge of his nose, quietly debating the pros and cons of the situation. Shepard hadn’t been much of a rule-follower to start, but he always had been… until he’d met her, anyway. This was a question of loyalty and trust, and these were the subjects in which he’d always felt sure and confident until now. Which outweighed the other? His suspicion of Cerberus or his faith in Shepard?

“What do you need me to do?” Kaidan asked finally, his tone hushed and his stance still uncomfortable and stiff.

Anderson offered a gentle smile, seemingly understanding of the turmoil the Commander was experiencing. He stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Kaidan’s shoulder. They were in this mess together and for the sake of humanity.

“Come with me, son.”


End file.
